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The liver is an important organ in the human body that is present in the upper right-hand side of our abdominal cavity. It is located above the stomach, intestines, and right kidney and is below the diaphragm. The liver diagram helps to develop a concrete understanding of the digestive procedure through digestive glands. It is reddish-brown in color and weighs approximately 3 pounds. In this article, we will have a look at the liver diagram, and understand the structure and functions of the liver.
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Keyterms: Liver, Organ, Cavity, Abdomen, Stomach, intestines, Digestive glands, Rib cage, Organs, Human body
Liver
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The liver is one of the vital organs of the human body consisting of two large sections known as the right and the left lobes. The liver is partly protected by our rib cage. Though we can’t see it, we can surely feel it expanding and contracting while breathing. The liver of an adult human weighs an average of 1.3 kgs. The study of the physiology and anatomy of the liver is facilitated more smoothly and rationally with the help of the liver diagram. It tries to convey a comprehensive analysis of the interconnected and coherent functioning of various body organs associated with the liver of a human body.
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Understanding the Liver Diagram
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The liver diagram aids in experimentation, conducting a deep study on human anatomy and physiology, and analyzing theories related to our body and our liver. It is generally used by practitioners, students, learners, and doctors. Let us analyze the above-shown liver diagram for a better understanding.
- A liver diagram is the visual representation of one of the largest glands of the human body, called the liver. The liver along with the salivary glands and pancreas constitutes the digestive glands that are associated with the alimentary canal, as shown in the figure.
- The actual weight of a liver varies from about 1.2 kg to 1.5 kg in an adult human.
- A liver is situated in the abdominal cavity, that is, beneath the diaphragm along with its two lobes.
- The diagram showcases the hepatic lobules which are considered as the structural and functional units of the liver. These hepatic lobules contain the hepatic cells which are arranged to form the structure or appearance of the cords.
- The hepatic cells in the liver secrete bile that passes through the hepatic ducts as shown in the diagram.
- The bile is then stored and concentrated in a gall bladder which is a thin muscular sac-like structure.
- The common bile duct is formed by the two different ducts, that is, the cystic duct of the gall bladder and the hepatic duct, which both originate from the liver.
- The duodenum is the common hepatic-pancreatic duct. It is also known as a place where both the bile duct and the pancreatic duct open up together.
Transverse - Section of Liver
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The diagram shows the transverse section of the liver which represents the wedge-like shape of the liver. This shape is because of the two lobes of the liver which have different sizes. This diagram of the liver is a transversal section which means that the cuts run across the axis or in a way the cuts are parallel to the organ.
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Structure of Liver
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The liver is a kind of dark-colored organ that is found in vertebrates. It performs a lot of necessary functions in the human body. It is located in the upper section of the abdomen and appears like a wedge-shaped organ.
- The shape of a liver is considered triangular with a bilobed structure.
- It consists of a right lobe which is comparatively larger and a smaller left lobe.
- There is a falciform ligament that functions by separating the two different lobes.
- The liver is protected from any physical damage with the help of a layer of fibrous tissue called Glisson’s capsule which is covered by the peritoneum.
Functions of Liver
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The liver is the most significant organ of the human body which ultimately regulates most of the chemical and biological processes. It helps in the metabolism and detoxication of the human blood. Factually, it is said that the liver is meant to perform more than five hundred vital functions. Some of the well-known functions of the liver include:
- The most significant function of the liver is that it helps in the production of bile juice and this juice helps in carrying away the waste from the human body.
- The liver is also responsible for the formation and the release of the production of certain types of proteins for the blood plasma.
- Another important function of the liver is seen in terms of the process of conversion of the excess glucose into glycogen.
- The liver contributes to regulating blood levels and blood clotting in the human body.
- The liver is responsible for the processing of hemoglobin and helps in storing its iron content.
- Detoxification is also one of the most important functions therefore, the liver clears the blood from drugs and other hazardous substances.
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Things to Remember
- The liver is an important body organ that has a significant role in multiple chemical processes such as metabolism, growth, protein production, hormone production, etc.
- Sometimes, the liver is also called an accessory digestive organ.
- Another important function of the liver is its detoxifying nature of various bodily metabolites.
- The liver also excretes the bilirubin along with bile which is a by-product of Red - blood cell destruction.
- One of the important characteristics is that liver is an expandable organ and therefore, it is capable of storing large quantities of blood in its blood vessels.
- The liver is responsible for producing the bile juice which helps in removing the fibrous waste from the human body and other than this liver is an organ that is capable of carrying five hundred other functions such as storage of iron, storage of excess glucose, etc.
- It also contributes a lot in removing the bacteria from the blood and thus protecting us from infections.
Previous Year Questions
- Continuous bleeding from an injured part of body is due to deficiency of...[NEET 2002]
- Duct leading from parotid gland and opening into vestibule is...[NEET 1998]
- During prolonged fastings, in what sequence are the following organic compounds used up by the body...[NEET 2003]
- Emulsification of fat is carried out by...[NEET 1990]
- The characteristic that is shared by urea... [KCET 2009]
- The primary dentition in humans differs from... [NEET 2015]
- Stool of a person contain whitish grey colour due to... [NEET 2002]
- Food is moved along the alimentary canal by the contraction known as... [JIPMER 2003]
- A baby boy aged two years is admitted to play school and passes through a dental check - up. The dentist observed that the boy had twenty teeth. Which teeth were absent?… [NEET 2017]
- Which cells of "Crypts of Lieberkuhn" secrete antibacterial lysozyme?... [NEET 2017]
- Secretin and cholecystokinin are digestive hormones. They are secreted in….[NEET 2005]
- Which of the following statements is not correct?... [NEET 2015]
- If for some reason the parietal cells of the gut epithelium become partially non-functional, what is likely to happen?... [NEET 2010]
- Jaundice is a disorder of... [NEET 2010]
- Duodenum has characteristic Brunner's gland which secrete two hormones called...[NEET 2004]
- A healthy person eats the following diet-5 gm raw sugar,. 4 gm albumin, 10 gm pure buffalo ghee adultrated with 2 gm vegetable ghee (hydrogenated vegetable oil) and 5 gm lignin. How many calories he is likely to get?...[NEET 2013]
- A person who is eating boiled potato, his food contains the component...[NEET 2000]
- Anxiety and eating spicy food together in an otherwise normal human, may lead to...[NEET 2012]
- Calcium deficiency in the body occurs in the absence of...[NEET 1994]
- Choose the correct enzyme - substrate pair... [NEET 1996]
Sample Questions
Ques. What is Glisson’s Capsule? (2 marks)
Ans. The hepatic lobules are considered as the structural and functional units of the liver. These hepatic lobules contain the hepatic - cells which are arranged to form the structure or appearance of the cords. Each of these lobules is covered by a very thin connective tissue sheath, which is ultimately called the Glisson’s capsule.
Ques. Explain what is Duodenum? (2 marks)
Ans. The duodenum is the common hepatic-pancreatic duct as shown in the diagram. Both the bile duct and the pancreatic duct open - up together into the duodenum. Duodenum is eventually guarded by a sphincter of Oddi which is nothing more than a sphincter itself.
Ques. What is Pancreas? (2 marks)
Ans. The endocrine and exocrine elongated organ has usually been termed the pancreas. The pancreas is situated between the limbs of the duodenum which is present in the ‘U’ shape. The exocrine part is known for secreting an alkaline pancreatic juice and this juice contains a few enzymes that simultaneously contribute to certain biological and chemical processes while the endocrine portion is known for secreting the hormones like insulin and glucagon. These hormones also play a significant function in the working of the human body.
Ques. Examine the functions of the liver. (2 marks)
Ans. One of the important functions associated with the biology diagram - liver diagram is that liver is an expandable organ and therefore, it is capable of storing large quantities of blood in its blood vessels. It also plays a significant role in multiple chemical processes such as metabolism, growth, protein production, hormone production, etc.
Ques. Mention a few important facts about the liver. (2 marks)
Ans. The liver has multiple characteristics such as:
- It is considered the second largest organ of the human body with almost 1.2 kg to 1.5 kg of weight in an adult human.
- The liver is also known for regeneration, that is, even after removing the part of a liver by 75%, it is capable of regeneration.
- Apart from this, in terms of functioning inside the body, it has largely more than five hundred specific functions, making it extremely significant.
Ques. Elaborate about the structure of the liver. (2 marks)
Ans. The shape of a liver is considered triangular with a bilobed structure. It consists of a right lobe which is comparatively larger and a smaller robe which is the left lobe. There is a falciform ligament that has the function of separating the two different lobes. The liver is protected from any physical damage with the help of a layer of fibrous tissue called Glisson’s capsule which is covered by the peritoneum.
Ques. What are the two most important functions of the liver? (2 marks)
Ans. The most significant function of the liver is that it helps in the production of bile juice and this juice helps in carrying away the waste from the human body. And the liver is also responsible for the formation and the release of the production of certain types of proteins for the blood plasma.
Ques. What is the importance of the liver diagram? (3 marks)
Ans. The liver diagram represents the complete functioning of the liver which is an important body organ that has a significant role in multiple chemical processes such as metabolism, growth, protein production, hormone production, etc.
Therefore, sometimes, the liver is also called an accessory digestive organ. Another important function of the liver that could not be represented by a diagram is its detoxifying nature of various bodily metabolites. Most of the time the applications of such liver diagrams are also seen in other areas such as physiotherapy, sports, demonstrations, etc.
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